Articles | Volume 14, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-211-2020
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-211-2020
Research article
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24 Jan 2020
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 24 Jan 2020

A decade of variability on Jakobshavn Isbræ: ocean temperatures pace speed through influence on mélange rigidity

Ian Joughin, David E. Shean, Benjamin E. Smith, and Dana Floricioiu

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Data associated with : A Decade of Variability on Jakobshavn Isbrae: Ocean Temperatures Pace Speed Through Influence on Mélange Rigidity I. Joughin, D. Shean, and B. Smith https://doi.org/10.6069/XQS7-CD47

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Short summary
Jakobshavn Isbræ, considered to be Greenland's fastest glacier, has varied its speed and thinned dramatically since the 1990s. Here we examine the glacier's behaviour over the last decade to better understand this behaviour. We find that when the floating ice (mélange) in front of the glacier freezes in place during the winter, it can control the glacier's speed and thinning rate. A recently colder ocean has strengthened this mélange, allowing the glacier to recoup some of its previous losses.